Mario Mühlböck surprised many people with the news that he would be retiring as mayor of Wilhering in March following 26 years. In this case, the rule is that the first deputy mayor will take over the official duties until the mayoral election provides clarity regarding the successor. It is still unclear when exactly the election will take place. As reported, June 9th, the day of the EU elections, would be ideal.
The question of who will actually run for mayor is also an open question. It is obvious that the SPÖ will send deputy mayor Christina Mühlböck-Oppolzer (SP) into the race. The daughter of the long-term mayor does not want to anticipate the decisions in the committees. “I am ready to take on this task, of course I will,” said Mühlböck-Oppolzer in the OÖN interview. However, the party members would make the final decision at the annual general meeting of the SPÖ Wilhering on February 8th.
The deputy mayor is already experienced in local politics, has been active in Wilhering for many years and knows from family experience what it means to be mayor. “I grew up like that,” says the mother of one son. The grandson was also one of the reasons why her father wanted to leave politics. He also explained his decision as he would like to see his grandson grow up and have more time for the family (the OÖN reported).
Discussions in the group
Vice Mayor Markus Langthaler (VP), who received 38.1 percent of the vote in the last mayoral election and was clearly defeated by Mario Mühlböck, also argues in a similar way to Mühlböck-Oppolzer. After he was completely surprised by the resignation announcement on Monday, there were no discussions within his group as to whether and who would run for mayor. However, Langthaler is considered the People’s Party’s most promising candidate. Anything else would be an even bigger surprise than Mühlböck’s resignation.
Local councilor Doris Eisenriegler (Greens) was also surprised by the new situation. It was known that Mühlböck had to go through a lot with his health and that he was now stepping down as mayor, but they came unprepared. When asked by OÖN, Eisenriegler neither wanted to say yes nor deny whether the Greens would nominate their own candidate for the mayoral election. This will be discussed and discussed in the committees.
“Weigh the pros and cons”
FP local councilor Dietmar Wießmayer also sees a need for discussion in his group regarding a candidacy. “Time is short, so we have to weigh up the pros and cons.” Like everyone else, he was surprised by the announcement of Mühlböck’s resignation, but he fully understands it. “The mayor’s office sometimes demands and pushes the family into the background.” said Wießmayer in the OÖN interview. Therefore, you have to think carefully regarding whether you can really fulfill this function as necessary. In addition, it is of course also a matter of weighing up the chances in a mayoral election.
The SP has the majority in the Wilhering local council with 14 mandates. The VP has 12 mandates, the Greens three and the FP two.
Author
Reinhold Gruber
Local editor Linz
Reinhold Gruber
